Tyee Rilatos: A Disc Golf Story

This is the first post in a disc golf spotlight series I plan to do. The goal is to find intrigue as well as to get insight, inspiration, and more from players, FPO and MPO, and personalities in disc golf. At the end, please be sure to leave a comment to let me know what you think. In the meantime, enjoy Tyee Rilatos: A Disc Golf Story…

At first blush, Tyee Rilatos’s story appears to be rather conventional.

Pandemic starts. Person finds disc golf. Person gets hooked to disc golf, etc.

We all know that story. We’ve heard it a thousand times.

There’s a good chance it even describes you.

But, after reading his story, I think you’ll agree, “conventional” is about the last word you might consider to describe Tyee Rilatos…

Words That DO Describe Tyee Rilatos

I had the great pleasure of meeting Tyee over a zoom call late on a Thursday night.

Tyee had just permanently finished up with his 9 to 5 and jumped head first into the disc golf abyss (more on this later). He was eager to get his professional disc golf career officially underway.

In our meeting, I bombarded him with questions about his plan, his family, his origins, his ambitions and more.

Throughout the meeting it became clear that one could use many adjectives to describe Tyee Rilatos and his story.

Kind. Positive. Introspective. Ambitious. Analytical. Competitive. Faithful. Thoughtful. Eager…

The list goes on and on.

“Conventional” never comes to mind…

The Tyee Rilatos Disc Golf Story – The Beginning

I first heard part of Tyee’s story on the Chainclankers podcast. I had previously written a post about Chainclankers and how they are one of my top pods for people that want to improve their games (found here), and I make sure not to miss an episode.

Once I heard it, I immediately reached out.

Being the giving person that he is, Tyee agreed to meet over zoom and it all came together.

As we referenced before, Tyee’s disc golf story begins at the start of the pandemic.

He was not taking well to the isolation. Tyee was rapidly putting on weight as he spent countless hours in front of one screen or another.

But in his darkest moments, disc golf sent a beam of hope his way.

A disc golf video came across his feed.

He was immediately drawn to it.

Two and half months later he had watched the entire 2019 season.

It was then that he asked his wife if she thought it was a good idea to try this game out for himself.

“You mean, instead of spending countless hours in front of a screen, you’re wondering if I think it’s a good idea for you to go outside and get exercise?” I’m guessing she wondered.

“Hmm? Let me think… Yes!” is what I imagine she said…

Tyee Hits the Courses

He doesn’t remember this now, but his wife won’t let him forget that she went out with him for his very first round…

And in his first few rounds, he was already throwing 330 – 375 feet.

He credits his analytical approach to anything he endeavors to do. In this case, he had been watching the pros for 2.5 months and studying.

It translated quickly to the course. He was also quite hooked!

Then, somewhere around his fifth round, Tyee ended up playing with a 1,000-rated player.

Tyee was obviously impressed with this guy’s all-around game.

“He was good at everything!” Tyee relates.

But Tyee wasn’t the only one impressed. This player made it a point to tell Tyee that he had a lot of talent in the game and that he should absolutely stick to it because the player thought Tyee could go places with disc golf.

“That left such an impression on me,” Tyee reports.

The fact that this advanced player had gone out of his way to even play with a beginner, and then shower praise on him was impressive and left a mark.

Only in disc golf…

From there, he started losing weight, training, studying and channeling his impressive focus into the game.

It was also Tyee’s first of many positive interactions with the disc golf community.

He’s still, to this day, impressed.

Tyee Connects with the Disc Golf Community

Tyee never got to thank that 1,000-rated player he met on that fateful day.

Such is life sometimes…

But he carries the good will he received early on, and throughout his journey, with him daily. He tries to channel it and to put that positivity right back into the game he loves.

He does this in many ways.

Nowadays, Tyee is crushing it on Instagram, @tyeerilatosdiscgolf, and some of his other platforms.

With over 6,000 followers and growing, he is certainly putting his stamp on the disc golf community.

And you don’t have to look too closely to see that all his posts are mired in positivity.

“Every single day I wake up and remind myself to give back to the disc golf community that has already given so much to me,” Tyee tells me.

Tyee has four guidelines that he lives by. He reminds himself of them daily.

“Love, positivity, value and sincerity,” he says. “I try to impart those four ideas into everything I do.”

This certainly translates to anything he does in disc golf.

“But I’m not perfect,” he tells me.

Then, Tyee tells me a story about some guy that was trolling him on his Instagram about his putting. Later that week, he and a partner were paired up with the very same guy in a doubles tournament.

Interestingly, this fellow was being super encouraging the entire round.

But Tyee had recognized him and hadn’t forgotten the hurtful messages he had conveyed.

At the very end, to win the doubles match, Tyee stroked an 80-footer and the guy was absolutely erupting with praise, including “Great shot!”

Tyee couldn’t resist.

“That’s not what you say in my instagram comments.”

The guy’s face dropped.

But even in his moment of “weakness”, Tyee made sure to turn it into a positive.

“I caught up with him a little later and made sure to let him know that there were no hard feelings and to encourage him to keep playing and even stay connected… Perhaps with a slightly different message.”

Tyee could have taken that a far different direction. But using his 4 guide words (love, positivity, value and sincerity) he probably made a lasting positive impact on that player that day.

And so it goes for every day that Tyee steps on the course.

Giving Back to The Native American Community

Tyee is very proud of his Native American heritage.

Growing up on a reservation in Oregon, Tyee has incredibly strong bonds and connections to the close-knit community that has looked out for him and helped to raise him to the man he is today.

As a result, Tyee is always looking for opportunities to give back to it.

Of course, Tyee thought of disc golf.

As with any larger entity, there’s red tape involved, but Tyee is helping to spearhead the installation of an 18-hole disc golf course on the reservation where he was raised.

Bringing activity, exercise, hope and joy to the community is a big priority for Tyee.

And once he has tackled one course, and learned the intricacies involved, it should help expedite the next course he hopes to install on another reservation. And the one after that as well…

Disc golf has brought him so much positivity in his life. He wants to share that with the communities he cares so deeply about.

And as Tyee continues to climb the disc golf mountain, and gain influence as well, there’s a great chance that a whole new generation of disc golfers from his home reservation, and others, will join him on the courses and find the joy that Tyee has found in the game.

Before you know it, it’s woven into the fabric of the community leaving a lasting mark on the lives of countless others.

That’s the vision Tyee has as he methodically strives to install that first basket, which leads to a second, and eventually a course and countless others.

He knows it’s time and energy well spent, as it can leave a lasting impact on innumerable lives from his community and others.

But, of course, Tyee has many other plans for himself as well…

Tyee Rilatos – Going the Distance (And Coaching Too)!

In two short years Tyee’s throwing over 550 feet and knows he’s got more in the tank.

“I want to be the farthest throwing player ever,” he informs me.

He credits Coach T from Slingshot Disc Golf for playing a huge role in his incredible transformation.

“Coach T got me from 400 feet to 550,” Tyee tells me.

Tyee goes on extoling the many virtues of Coach T and his Slingshot method. In the end he tells me, “Coach T has it down to a science.”

It’s certainly hard to argue with the results!

“Now,” Tyee reports, “Coach T and I are working together and coaching the game we love.”

It’s still “under construction” but very soon, Tyee and Coach T will be able to offer slingshot lessons both in person and online.

Tyee prefers to teach his students in person.

“If I’m traveling to your area for a disc golf tournament, there’s a good chance I’ll be running a clinic as well not too far from there.”

With so many of us clamoring for that elusive distance, who better to get a lesson from?

I don’t know about you, but I’ll take the guy that can just watch disc golf and throw 330 feet in his first few rounds and climb to 550+ in a few short years to teach me.

Throw in the fact that he’s incredibly positive and cares about each of his students, and that is the making of a great coach.

Just another way for Tyee to impart value…

Tyee Rilatos – On Tour in 2023!

In a lot of ways, Tyee is living the disc golfer’s dream.

He’s finished his job and setting off into the unknown to play disc golf.

For travel, he plans to repurpose a van and take his wife and daughter on the road to start his touring career.

On paper, it sounds magnificent.

In reality, having heard enough accounts from others living a similar lifestyle, it can also be a total grind.

Countless hours on the road, with a young daughter and then arriving at an event and being expected to perform over a long, grueling season, can take its toll.

Adding on his responsibilities to his various social media platforms as well as his coaching and fundraising/red tape cutting for installing a course at his home reservation in Oregon ,and it’s a lot to juggle.

Nevertheless, Tyee has a great outlook on it.

“I’m with the people I love most, playing the game I love. Pretty simple really.”

“Also,” he makes sure to remind me, “I have a great team around me.”

Tyee has a nutritionist, strength and conditioning coach, social media support, and more.

“They take a lot of the little things off my plate so I can just focus on what’s most important when I’m on the course.”

So, with the support of his family, his team, and his followers (myself included!) Tyee Rilatos is setting out on a disc golf adventure…

Tyee Rilatos – Climbing Disc Golf Mountain

It never came up naturally as I was writing this post, but Tyee tells me, at the start of the pandemic, he and his wife decided to move to Alaska in November.

As they were taking the long, long drive up, they got caught in a nasty blizzard.

It was touch and go for a while, but they obviously pulled through and made it safely to their destination where they lived for a few years.

Later, Tyee would go on to establish himself as a top disc golf presence in Alaska.

But, for some reason, I can’t get that initial storm out of my head.

To me, it’s such a classic obstacle in so many of the stories we read. As the hero sets off on a journey, the world puts a significant obstacle in his/her path and tries to get them to give up before they’ve even really begun.

Now, having successfully bypassed that obstacle and countless others along the way, I like to envision Tyee slowly climbing the mountain towards his goals.

He wants to coach and give back to his community and others.

He wants to be the longest thrower on the planet.

And if you ask him straight up, he’ll tell you he wants to be the best disc golfer to ever play the game.

To me, it’s refreshing to find people with such lofty ambitions.

He knows how challenging and ambitious his goals are.

He’s just not hiding from it.

He’s not putting restrictions on himself as he climbs this disc golf mountain as high as he can, one step at a time.

He’s also pausing to enjoy the views he gets along the way.

We can all take something from that message, whether it’s disc golf related or not.

For me, I want to be a part of it as well.

Support Tyee on His Journey!

This is me, Mister Disc (the one writing), talking here. It’s something I want to implement in each of my spotlight posts.

Tyee did not ask for this, nor does he know about it until he reads this (Hi Tyee!).

Unless I somehow lure Simon Lizotte (hit me up Simon!) into my web, there’s a great chance that the player’s I spotlight represent the vast majority of disc golfers in the financial sense.

Most people hear of these 10-year, $10 million dollar contracts and conflate it with the typical disc golfer’s reality.

The truth is that those contracts are, thus far, a statistical anomaly.

The reality, for the vast majority of players still, is that they have to find other ways to make ends meet. Often times, something as simple as a van repair can set them back.

So, with that in mind, here are some ways I found that we can support Tyee Rilatos on his disc golf adventure and help make his dreams come true.

Follow/support him on Instagram – @TyeeRilatosDiscGolf, given his positivity, Tyee could absolutely use your words of encouragement. Be sure to support him there. He also helps pay his bills that way, so it helps in more ways than one!

Get a Lesson with Slingshot! – As we said before, Tyee has teamed up with Coach T and will be taking his coaching on the road. As you are following him, check out and see if he’s playing a tourney near you. If so, get a lesson from him and support him while improving your game at the same time! Site info is coming soon!

Buy a disc/other products on his website – Tyee’s website, found here, has various products you can purchase that also support Tyee. The options on his site are highlighted below.

1. Get Disc Mafia apparel here, and use code TYEE10 for 10% off.
2. Improve your putting accuracy and buy a Champcap here, and use code TYEERILATOSFS for free shipping.
3. You can also buy RPM discs/products (they’ve got some good ones!). But I’m guessing you should go to his site and click from there for him to get the credit with RPM.

Tyee’s given a lot to the community and I’m sure he’ll appreciate if we can bolster him any way we can!

Tyee’s attempting to live out a disc golf dream.

As he achieves his goals, in a small way, we do too.

I, for one, look forward to following him every step of the way…

Tyee Rilatos’s Disc Golf Story (Part 1) – In Summary

Having now read the start of Tyee Rilatos’s story, I think we can all agree that “conventional” does NOT find the chains in any way shape or form…

Of all the words that have been used to try and encapsulate Tyee Rilatos, there’s one that stands out for me.

Love.

Love for his wife and daughter.

Love for his parents and family.

Love for his Native American heritage and the Native American community.

Love for his Creator and his faith.

Love for the disc golf community.

Love for his fellow man.

It’s one of the words he reminds himself of every day before he steps on the course.

“Love, positivity, value and sincerity,” he says.

Having spoken to him in person, followed him on socials, and listened to his interviews, I have zero doubt that he means it with every ounce of his being.

And that’s the kind of person I want to get behind.

Someone that doesn’t turn back in the face of a storm.

A person that reaches for the stars and doesn’t stop till he gets there.

A person that preaches four words, and actually lives by them.

Positivity.

Value.

Sincerity.

And, of course…

Love.

Thank you for reading everyone! Be sure to comment below with your thoughts on Tyee Rilatos: A Disc Golf Story! Also, remember that you can support Tyee in his climb up the mountainside by referring to the links I laid out above or simply by visiting his site found here.

If you want to support me, and what I’m trying to do all you have to do is subscribe to my free monthly newsletter. My site is new and I’m trying to build a community here. From designing a course in my own backyard to traveling around the world playing this great game of ours (and a lot of other things as well), I have big plans for the site. It’s going to be a fun ride and I invite you to come along for my journey as well! And I almost forgot! All subscribers to my free monthly newsletter are permanently entered in a raffle to win $50 gift cards to Infinite Discs! That sounds like a win-win situation to me! So be sure to subscribe here!